SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND HUMANITIES

SUBJECT COURSE: FAMILY AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN EARLY

CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

TITLE: HOME AND COMMUNITY VISITATION PROJECT

PREPARED FOR:

MDM NUR LIYANA MOHD NAZLI

PREPARED BY:

NORHANNA BINTI GIBSON

B21361030 – SEMESTER 6/2022
Malaysia has a diverse population. The native Malay people as per us, along with sizeable Chinese

and Indian populations, are the predominant ethnic group. It is evident and a source of pride that

each ethnic group continues to practice its own unique religion, customs, and a way of life.

Families frequently interact with other members of their own ethnic group and this practice helps

them maintain their distinctive traditions and way of life. Many people of identity and extensive

network of support come from their families. The family that I met in this project is a Chinese

family background which is a very firm and lovely family by ensuring the success of their two of

children’s. Mrs. Chan is my neighbors and when we talk about life especially when it comes to

family, there are differences and similarities despite to our different cultures. Different cultures

have various ways of relating to their children. For instance, whereas this family cultures demands

that kids keep quiet and always respect their elders, while the other cultures encourage to speak up

for the truth and be independent.

Chinese have been in Malaysia since the 15th century and the Han Chinese were the first to settle

in the Malaccan Empire (Hays, 2015). As the miners, they arrived. In the 18th century, when British

landed in Malaya, they sent Chinese and Indian laborers to the region to fill labor shortages in the

tin, rubber, and other sectors, according to Malaysian Chinese Ethnography (2011). Therefore,

this is same story she told me how their ancestors entered Malaya in the old days and become a

Chinese Peranakan in Malaysia. According to her personal perception that Chinese society

reverence for eating, food cannot be wasted. So, for their children, they also saved a few special

family recipes, like the Peranakan dishes “pongteh”, etc. The dishes were highly uncommon and

distinctive in that they incorporated elements of Peranakan culture. They believed with show their

love for their children by giving themselves or making sacrifices, like giving foods or work long

hours to ensure their kids have the best education and life.
First, for Chinese, Confusion philosophy plays a significant role in understanding the family.

According to Confusion philosophy (Ho, 1987), the family is the cornerstone of all social

organization and contains the most significant relationships for everyone. The roles of husband

and wife, parent and kid, older brother and younger brother are examples of roles that are well

defined. In exchange for submission and love, a husband or father is required to exercise control

and kindness toward his wife, and to provide guidance and safety to his children in exchange for

submission and respect. Confusion roles are no longer rigidly observed, but this family still

expected to put it into practice where they must respect their elders and obey their parents.

Therefore, the father needs to be a firm educator and enforcer of rules. Confucian traditions have

generally elevated Chinese fathers to a greater role in the house.

For Chinese, families are seen as having a collective identity and reputation. This phenomenon,

known as “face”, occurs when one person’s action affects how others perceive the entire group.

This family believed that the family’s interests will take precedence over those of the individual.

As the world has modernized and made technical advancements, this family household dynamic

has diverged from the traditional paradigm. Nowadays, having money is a major status symbol.

Family wealth is found to be correlated indirectly with children’s cognitive abilities when parents

engage in cognitively stimulating activities and foster a loving and supportive home environment

for their children. They still hold the belief that showing one’s family members money is a sign of

love. If the parents work longer and harder to make more money, less emphasis is placed on

building strong human relationships. However, the parents are still wholly committed to their

children’s success and hope their children’s success will better than they did. As a result, getting

a strong education and going to high education are highly valued. This is frequently stated in a

manner that places high demands on the child to perform well to achieve their parent’s objectives.
As this family practicing the Authoritarian Parenting where they are raising their children in places

with strong emphasis on high standards and has a propensity to punish or isolate children to exert

control over them. At the different time and situation, they also practicing authoritative parenting,

which places a similar emphasis on high standards, but it also characterized by a strong

commitment to parental warmth and a willingness to reason with children. For instance, they are

very aware their children with high-standard parents typically perform better in school.

Additionally, this is because they frequently spend more time encouraging their children to study,

practice, and succeed. For their kids to be able to excel in their studies, the parents appeared to

push their children to advance in all areas of their schooling. This is clear that parents are the

primary motivators of their children’s educational pursuits.

For this Chinese families, education is valued highly, and it is important. As per their own opinion

is that good social and communication skills are the most crucial ones for their children to master

in school. That’s why family engagement is important between educators and schools, where the

parents and teachers work together to support the children in achieving their academic objectives,

so the parents must make their child’s education priority and when teachers make a commitment

to working closely with parents. Furthermore, to assist their children success, family involvement

and engagement in school also important. This is included parents’ participation in school-related

events or activities and the teachers can provide learning resources and information on their

student’s grades. With this family involvement, the home and schoolwork together as a one unit.

Additionally, she said that “the family involvement in school automatically assists them improve

their efforts to give young children for meaningful learning experiences and work as a community

to nurture the schools for their particular community needs”.

From this project conducted, I found that family is crucial in passing down cultural practices to

future generations. This was evident as per during the interview and visitations, the family spoke

that as a parent’s contributions to the transmission and practice of Chinese culture inside the

family. The following generation can adopt cultural practices by mastering their parents. Family

also crucial in providing support and assistance to all members of family. This is because they are

emphasizing how close their families are to one another. The family also crucial for providing

people with both financial and emotional assistance. This is a little bit same to the cultural practices

that my family applied which is children’s unwavering fidelity to the family and parents’

obligations to raise their kids.

The importance of education among Chinese family, they place a strong emphasis on the quality

of diligence. In addition to academic success, morality, and manners are important too. Although

education is vital, this family said that teaching morality and good manners to the future generation

is far more important, as they are instilling moral principles in their children in one of their top

objectives. As for my family, the importance of honoring elders and adopting polite language in

communication, is far greater than academic ability. As a result, this visitation and interview

results demonstrate that, in addition to cultural forces that aid families in forming values, families

play a significant role in shaping individuals where it’s not much difference between Chinese

family and my family.

In conclusion, Chinese family structures had a significant impact on how children are raised by

their families since a young age. The moral values that parent instill in their children, such as

respect and affection for the elderly, have a significant impact on the establishment of a healthy

family. Progressive child rearing also promotes healthy family growth, which inevitably

strengthens society as in this project, the Malaysian Chinese family system.

References

1. Hays, J. (2015). Chinese in Malaysia, Retrieved from

http://factsanddetails.com/asian/cat66/sub418/entry-4307.html

2. Malaysian Chinese ethnography. (2011). Retrieved from

http://culturnicity.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/malaysian-chinese-ethnography.pdf

3. Ho, D.Y.F. (1987). Fatherhood in Chinese Culture, In Lamb, M.E. (Ed.), The father’s role:

Cross-cultural perspectives (pp. 227-246). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.